Feb. 1st 2003 was a day that shock the world when the out-of-controlled space shuttle Columbia re-entered the atmosphere breaking apart, and killing all seven crew.
A new NASA Columbia report released reveals that the seat restraints, space suits and helmets that were used by the crew did not work well enough to protect them – leading to “lethal trauma” the Columbia broke apart just 16 minutes before it was due to land in Florida.
The NASA Columbia report that consists of 400-pages though does not state that if the crew had been better equipped they would have survived.
The report does state, “The break-up of the crew module and the crew’s subsequent exposure to hypersonic entry conditions was not survivable by any currently existing capability.”
The 400-page report offers lessons for NASA as they build the newest spaceship, the six-person Orion vehicle. The ship is expected to make an orbital flight in 2015 and reach the moon five years later.
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